Xanthium sibiricum 蒼耳

POISONOUS PARTS

Whole plant, especially the fruits.³

TOXICITY

• Toxic Constituents

  Atractyloside and carboxyatractyloside.⁴

• Toxic Dose

  10 fresh fruits.⁴

• Mechanism

  Atractyloside and carboxyatractyloside impede oxidative phosphorylation by inhibiting mitochondrial ADP-ATP exchange carrier.⁵

• Poisoning Features

  Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, jaundice, hepatomegaly, liver impairment, oliguria, haematuria and renal impairment.⁶

CLINICAL MANAGEMENT

Supportive treatment.

IDENTIFICATION FEATURES

Annual herbs, 0.5–1.5 m tall. Stems pubescent. Leaves 3.5–15 × 3–16.5 cm, 3- or 5-lobed, margin irregularly dentate. Capitula monoecious. Male heads 4–7 mm in diameter; male florets greenish white, anthers free and curved inward. Female heads axillary, female florets enclosed in a bur. The burs 10–23 × 4–7 mm, green or yellow-green, with hooked prickles, 2-beaked apically.⁷

MEDICINAL USES

Uses in TCM—whole plant: dispel wind and fever, remove dampness and toxin; flowers: dispel wind, remove dampness; fruits: disperse wind, relieve pain, dispel dampness, kill parasites, relieve nasal congestion. Recommended dose: whole plant 6–12 g, flowers 6–15 g, fruits 3–10 g.^8–12

CASES IN TRL

TRL received a consultation in 2007. An outbreak characterised by vomiting, followed by coma and rapid progression to death was reported in northeastern Bangladesh following a flood necessitating the consumption of wild plants as food. There were more than 100 poisoning victims and 21 deaths. The plant was later confirmed to be X. sibiricum.

LABORATORY ANALYSIS

Atractyloside and carboxyatractyloside can be detected by LC-MS/MS.¹³